Vazquez goes distance for White Sox

As the White Sox gradually find momentum that has eluded them most of the season, the once-missing ingredients are beginning to blend.

The latest contribution came from Javier Vazquez, who retired the final 16 batters in a 5-1 complete-game victory Tuesday night over Baltimore.

Vazquez, pitching in front of several scouts, scattered four hits. He has allowed only three earned runs in his last 23 innings covering three starts.

"It's that time of the year," said Vazquez, who has a limited no-trade clause to the nine teams in the American League and National League West. "I've been in the league 10 years. I've been traded a few times, not around the All-Star break. Everyone's name is going to pop up, even if the team isn't thinking about trading you. We just have to get used to it."

Vazquez's complete game was his first since Sept. 5, 2006, against Boston.

"I think we needed that," said manager Ozzie Guillen, who allowed Vazquez to throw a 118 pitches in the wake of the bullpen's failure in the final two innings of Monday night's 7-6 loss. "We needed to bounce back. I felt really nice about this ballclub and the way we showed up after last night."

The power also has returned. Jim Thome's three-run homer in the fourth inning was his second in as many games and the Sox's fifth in three games.

And the heavily criticized farm system provided substantial contributions. Jerry Owens, in his first game since getting recalled from Triple-A Charlotte, gave the Sox a spark from the leadoff spot. He led off with single, stolen second on the next pitch and he scored the Sox's first run.

Fellow rookie Josh Fields atoned for his error in Monday's loss by making two exceptional defensive plays and igniting the Sox's three-run fourth when he ripped a double off the left-field wall.

The result was the Sox's seventh victory in nine games, and a sense they are climbing back to a semblance of respectability.

Starting pitching has been the one constant through the first 80 games, and Vazquez (5-5) has been impressive lately. Vazquez won consecutive starts for the first time since his first two starts of the season against Minnesota and Cleveland.

Since the Cleveland victory, Vazquez has pitched at least six innings in 14 consecutive starts.

For the second time in three starts, Vazquez didn't walk a batter. He didn't pitch under much duress after working out of a jam in the third.

Thome, meanwhile, could reach the 500-homer mark this season if he remains healthy. His homer was the 484th of his career and his 12th in 55 games this season.

The Sox (36-44) have 77 homers in 80 games, compared to 117 at the same time last season.

Against Baltimore's hard-throwing starter Daniel Cabrera, Owens didn't look as overmatched as he did during the latter stages of his first stint with the Sox, when he ended up with a .170 batting average in 53 at-bats.

Owens was recalled to take the place of the injured Scott Podsednik and Guillen said Owens' performance would dictate how often he will bat in the leadoff spot.

"This is not the Instructional League," Guillen said. "This is a game to win. If he is not playing well, I will put somebody else out there."

Fields' status, however, is more secure because of his ability to battle out of rough starts. He is batting .269 after going hitless in his first 11 at-bats.